Photography blog

Instagram is by far the best social media platform for photographers in all niches (photography hashtag time!!). The main reason is that Instagram is a visual platform where users can see your photos directly and follow you too!

In 2020, posting your photos, videos, hashtags, and stories frequently will help you gain more followers, who may, in turn, become clients. Many photographers are using Instagram as a way of displaying their portfolio to the world – so long as they use the right photography hashtags in 2020.

If you are familiar with Instagram, you know it’s all about using hashtags and witty captions. You probably think adding some hashtags under your photo will get you some extra engagement, but that’s simply not true!

To get real engagement, you need to use niche specific and specialized hashtags for Instagram photography. This blog post will guide you in choosing the best hashtags in the most popular photography niches.

What are photography hashtags in 2020 used for?

Hashtags are Instagram’s method of categorizing content and making it discoverable for its users to see. Hashtags offer you exposure to a vast audience that might not have found your social media posts without seeing them after a hashtag search.

Using the right hashtags may even get your post featured, reposted, and shared by others. You must tag your post with specific words that users are searching for. If you are using the best hashtags, your posts will show up as users search for similar photos.

Did you know that how high up you appear within a specific hashtag depends on these four main factors?

Frequency – How often a hashtag is used.

The interaction or popularity of your post – How many likes and comments it has.

The time it is shared – There are certain times when it’s best to post, like in the evening, when a lot of users are active.

Audience strength – How large your audience is (number of followers) and how active they are on the platform.

How many hashtags can I use?

Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags per post. If you want to sneak some extra words in, add a comment to your post and use additional hashtags there. However, Instagram marketers recommend avoiding photography hashtag stuffing or using too many. Most experts agree that the ideal number of hashtags to use is somewhere between 5 – 11 per post.

Remember that it’s about using the most relevant photography hashtags, not any random ones. Also, make sure you avoid making up your own hashtags unless you have a huge following that is engaged with your brand. Do some research before using hashtags to see which ones are being searched for by users and choose those that you have a chance to stand out in!

It’s important to note that many hashtags are a combination of words and characters like the #landscape_lovers tag, for example. Some even combine numbers, letters, and characters!

How to choose hashtags for your Instagram photos

Depending on the size of your following, you’ll have a bigger chance of getting noticed by using some specific hashtags. It’s all about comparing the competition to your profile and seeing where your account fits into the infamous and everchanging ‘Instagram algorithm.’

Here is you need to know about Instagram photography hashtags: the more posts a hashtag has, the harder it is to get a high ranking and get noticed. The goal of most photographers is to get into the top post category for a hashtag. The top nine posts in each hashtag are shown as the top results in the search feature. You must target the tags that have fewer entries and, ultimately, less competition, to be able to become featured in the top post section.

A hashtag like #photographer has over 162 million posts, so it will be challenging to get noticed, whereas a specific tag like #wildlifephotographer has 700k. The best way to get a good ranking is to target lower-competition hashtags and use those as your tags. So, how can you stand out among millions as a beginner? Work your way up by targeting those easy tags and gather lots of likes, which will allow you to start posting in the bigger hashtags.

Consider targeting a hashtag that has about 1000 times more posts than your average number of likes. Let’s imagine that you get 50 likes on average per post, you should target hashtags with approximately 50.000 posts.

Take a look at this lengthy list of the best general Instagram hashtags for photographers popular in 2020:

#Aesthetics

#Camera

#Capture

#Composition

#ExclusiveShots

#Exposure

#global_hotshotz

#HDR

#HDRspotters

#Hubs_United

#IG_Exquisite

#IG_Shotz

#IGworldclub

#InstaPhoto

#Instadaily

#Instafocus

#iPhoneography

#Jaw_Dropping_Shotz

#JustGoShoot

#Main_Vision

#MasterShots

#Moment

#Nikon

#PhotoOfTheDay

#Photogram

#Photographer

#PhotographDaily

#PhotographyAddict

#PhotographyEveryday

#PhotographyIsLife

#PhotographyLife

#PhotographyLovers

#PhotographySouls

#Photoshop

#Pic

#PicOfTheDay

#Pixel_IG

#Snapshot

#Superhubs

#ThroughTheLens

#Visuals

#WorldBestGram

Now that you’ve got a list of potential hashtags to use, only choose approximately ten that are most suited for your style of photography. There are niche-specific hashtags as well, so if you are a wedding photographer, use a hashtag generator tool, such as the one from displaypurposes.com, to search for the top hashtags in that category. You’ll find tags like #weddingphotography, that are better suited to your post than something like #pic. That’s why you need to use niche-specific tags to get the most engagement on your insta post.

Check out these lists of niche-specific hashtags and find the suitable tags for your next post.

The Best Black and White Photography Hashtags for Instagram

Even though color photography has been around for many decades, black and white photography is fresh again. There is a whole “monochrome aesthetic” movement dedicated to amazing black and white photography. A reason for peoples’ love for black and white photos is that they have a timeless quality to them. This type of photography is considered visually simple and takes away the distractions that color offers. It also leaves room for interpretation and guessing because, as a viewer, you might not know what the real color of the subjects and objects is.

There are many black and white photography hashtags, including many related tags. #blackandwhitephotography has more than 25 million posts, so there is an opportunity to niche-down and get noticed.

A post shared by Jay Vulture (@vulture_labs) on May 31, 2020 at 2:11am PDT

Here are some black and white photography hashtag ideas for you:

#BlackandWhiteOnly

#BlackAndWhite_Perfection

#bnw_captures

#bnw_captures

#bnw_demand

#bnw_magazine

#bnw_of_our_world

#bnw_perfection

#bnw_planet

#bnw_society

#bnw_universe

#bnwmood

#BW_Life

#bw_PhotoOfTheDay

#bw_crew

#bwstylesgf

#Blackandwhitephotography

#excellent_bnw

#IGblacknwhite

#IGfotogram

#InstaBlackAndWhite

#Insta_BW

#MonoArt

#Monochrome

#Monochromaticphotography

#Noir

#NoirStreetLife

#Top_bnw

The Best Aerial Photography Hashtags

Aerial and drone photography is an up and coming category on Instagram. It is increasingly popular because photographers have access to cool technology, such as drones. Aerial photos allow you to see the world from an entirely new perspective. The hashtag #dronephotography currently has over 4.9 million posts, and #aerialphotography has over 3 million, coming in at a combined 8 million, making it an essential category in the photography world. Make sure to check out our aerial photography tips guide here.

Wanderlust is still something that people experience, and one of the first things they do is check Instagram for travel inspiration. That’s why you need to start using relevant hashtags to expose your work to the users who are constantly browsing through the 110+ million posts under the #travelphotography hashtag. The great advantage of being a travel photographer is that you can use location-specific tags to get noticed. For example, if you are posting photos from Bangkok, use a mix between photography-related hashtags and Thailand-related ones.

Here is a list of the best hashtags for travel photographers:

#CreateExplore

#DiscoverEarth

#ExploreTheGlobe

#ExploreToCreate

#GetLost

#ILoveTravel

#Instago

#Instapassport

#Instatraveling

#KeepExploring

#OptOutside

#PassportReady

#Places_Wow

#TheGlobeWanderer

#Travelers

#Travelholic

#TravelBlogger

#TravelMoments

#TravelPhoto

#TravelPhotographer

#TravelPic

#Travelwithme

#TravelWorld

#Travelingram

#Wanderer

#Wanderlust

#WriteToTravel

The Best Street Photography Hashtags

Photographers who are out and about on the streets all day snapping photos are known as street photographers. They capture the essence and reality of day to day life on the streets of major cities and towns. This type of photography is used to capture life as it really is, through a lens. Street photos are not usually as staged and prepared as other types of photos; it’s all about capturing the raw reality.

A popular sub-niche is street fashion photography, which has a large following on Instagram and over 25 million posts in the #streetfashion hashtag.

Whether you’re capturing the stylish folk around the city or snapping pictures of bustling New York street corners, you’ll be able to use some of the street photography related hashtags:

#ASPFeatures

#Citygrammers

#EverybodyStreet

#FromStreetsWithLove

#Gramslayers

#IG_Street

#LensCultureStreets

#LensOnStreets

#LiveFolk

#PeopleInSquare

#StoryOfTheStreet

#StreetGrammer

#StreetLife

#StreetMagazine

#StreetMobs

#StreetPhotographers

#StreetShared

#StreetShooter

#StreetShot

#StreetView

#Street_Photo_Club

#Street_Photography

#Street_is_life

#Urbanphotography

The Best Food Photography Hashtags

One of the most popular trends on Instagram is food photography, with over 50 million posts in the #foodphotography hashtag alone. Food is something that unites us all, everyone has that favorite dish or dessert, so it’s not surprising that food photography is taking the Insta world by storm. When you see a delicious meal in an appealing photo, you’ll probably be craving it!

Restaurants, amateur chefs, as well as marketing agencies are quickly turning to food photography to attract hungry customers who love a good presentation. The more delectable food looks, the more people are going to interact with a food photo, and the more likely they are to go try it out! If you want to market food or share your love of cuisine, use the many foodie and food photography hashtags available. Check out our food photography tips guide for 2020 here!

The Best Portrait Photography Hashtags

Portraiture is one of the oldest arts to date. It is one of the only ways to capture a person’s likeness and essence truly. Therefore, it’s no wonder that portrait photography is still one of the most popular types of artistic photography on Instagram, with over 38 million photos to date.

Great portrait photographers are experts at using light and special techniques to capture the uniqueness of each person’s face. With a dedicated following of fellow photographers and enthusiastic clients, using the #portraitphotography tag and all the similar hashtags will help you get seen.

Find your favorite hashtags on this list:

#BleachMyFilm

#ExpoFilm3k

#FeaturePalette

#IGPortrait

#Life_Portraits

#Life_Portraits

#MakePortraits

#Pixel_IG

#Portrait

#PortraitFolk

#Portrait_shots

#PortraitStyles_GF

#Portrait_Perfection

#Portrait_Society

#Portrait_Vision

#Portraitoftheday

#Portraits

#PortraitsFromTheWorld

#Portraits_Universe

#PostMorePortraits

#Profile_Vision

#PursuitOfPortrait

#QuiteTheChaos

#RSA_Portraits

#SelfPortrait

#SnowIsBlack

#TangledInFilm

#Top_Portraits

The Best Landscape Photography Hashtags

The landscape photography category is similar to travel photography, but it is focused solely on the landscape and the beauty of nature. People love to see the world around them captured on camera. Whether it’s a landscape shot of the Himalayas or the fauna of Lake Ontario, people are quick to appreciate high-quality landscape and nature photography. The hashtag #naturephotography currently has close to 100 million posts!

The landscape and nature category is easier to rank well in because there is lots of variety and very many subcategories and small niches.

Check out the most popular landscape and nature photography hashtags:

#Dream_Spots

#EarthExperience

#Earth_shotz

#FiftyShadesOfNature

#IGNatureCapture

#IG_DivineShots

#IG_Landscape

#Landscape_Captures

#LandscapePhoto

#Landscapehunter

#Landscapephotographer

#Majestic_earth

#Mthrworld

#NatGeoAdventure

#NatGeoHub

#NatureCapture

#NatureDaily

#NatureIsArt

#NatureLover

#NatureOfOurWorld

#NaturePhotography

#NaturePic

#Nature_Seekers

#Nature_Worldwide_Miracles

#Natureloversgallery

#Natureofinstagram

#Pocket_world

#Visual_Heaven

Best Fashion Photography Hashtags in 2020

Fashion photography is a popular category on Instagram, with over 20 million posts. The general audience for this type of content is young, trendy, and always looking for creative content to get inspired and shop. This category is a mix of fashion photographers, bloggers, and fashion models, and many of the hashtags used are interchangeable.

But, getting exposure using these hashtags will help you get more followers in this niche. Getting good results with fashion and editorial posts is challenging, but what you must do is target longer hashtags such as #fashionphotographyexperience. People searching for fashion photography posts are usually looking for a specific aesthetic. Consider using brand hashtags as well as some of the popular photography hashtags.

Here is a list of fashion photography hashtags to use:

#fashionphotography

#instafashion

#fashionphotographer

#fashionshoot

#editorialphotography

# add your location + photographer (ex. Nycphotographer)

#fashiongram

#fashionshoot

#fashioneditorial

#fashion

#fashionblogger

#fashionmodel

#instagood

#portrait

#model

#fashionpost

#portraitphotography

#photographer

#photooftheday

#modelshoot

#fashionphotoshoot

#portraitmood

#fashionphotographystudio

#fashionphotographyeditorial

#fashionphotographyappreciation

#fashionphotographyoftheday

#fashionphotographyexperience

#FashionAddict

#fashionmagazine

Best Portrait Photography Hashtags

The best portrait photographers can capture their subject’s personality and distinguishing facial features through the lens. Portrait photography is still very popular, even in the age of the selfie. #portraitphotography has over 40.8 million posts making it a huge photography category and niche on Instagram.

Many people want professional-looking family photos, ceremony photos, couples’ photos, business photos, or just want to mark a special moment in their lives. They will call on portrait photographers to capture more than just their face; they want photos that capture their essence and tell a story.

To get your photos more social media exposure, combine the portrait photography hashtags with a few general photography hashtags.

#instaportrait

#portrait

#portraitpage

#portraitphoto

#portraitphotography

#portraits

#model

#portraiture

#portraitoftheday

#portraits_ig

#portrait_ig

#portrait_star

#postthepeople

#postmoreportraits

#portraitsmag

#portraitmodel

#discoverportrait

#portraitphotographer

#portrait_perfection

#portrait_mood

#portraitshot

#portrait_shots

#portraitpage

#portraitsociety

#portrait_vision

#makeportraits

#life_portraits

#portraitfolk

#portraitstyle

#photofotheday

#ig_portrait

#portraits_universe

Best Wedding Photography Hashtags

Wedding photography is an endless source of inspiration for couples looking to get married. The wedding photo niche is one of the most popular niches on Instagram because of their pretty and romantic aesthetic.

Many Instagram users, especially women, and engaged couples, look at wedding photos for inspiration for their big day. They want ideas for everything from the bride’s dress, to table décor, and even wedding venues. For up and coming wedding photographers, great photos are the perfect opportunity to land new clients.

There are currently 30.5 million posts under #weddingphotography, and most of the sub-niches and related hashtags have millions of posts, such as #bride with over 50 million. To get your wedding photos noticed, you need to use the best wedding photography niche hashtags on Instagram and dive deep into longer hashtags and sub-niches to get the most out of the platform’s algorithm.

Here are the most popular hashtags in this category:

#weddingphotography

#wedding

#bride

#weddingphotographer

#weddingday

#weddinginspiration

#weddingdress

#weddingideas

#weddingphoto

#weddinginspo

#instawedding

#weddingphotos

#weddingphotoshoot

#weddingphotographyideas

#brideandgroomphotos

#fearlessphotographer

#weddingphotographersociety

#weddingportrait

#weddingmoments

#weddingfilm

#preweddingphoto

#destinationwedding

#bridestory

#destinationweddingphotographer

#portrait

#loveauthentic

#shutterpro

#realweddings

#bridalinspiration

Best Photography Tools Hashtags

This photography category is for those photographers who are using special cameras, equipment, tools, and software to create artistic and groundbreaking photographs. Using photo tools hashtags are a great way to get noticed in the photographer community. Did you know that there are Instagram communities dedicated to specific cameras, brands, and techniques?

Many photographers are specialists in vintage type of photos, or use Kodak cameras, so they can take advantage of this by posting in photography sub-niches. Many photographers are dedicated to one type of photo editing software and use it for all their edits. If you use Lightroom for example, always add #lightroom to your post because there are over 18 million posts under that hashtag. With the photography tools hashtags, you can show off your special skill and techniques.

#longexposure

#longexposurephotography

#longexposure_shots

#macro

#macrophotography

#50mm

#35mm

#35mmfilm

#vsco

#vscocam

#vscocamphotos

#vscocamgram

#snapseed

#filmphotographic

#ishootfilm

#filmcamera

#symmetry

#panorama

#moodygrams

#fatalframes

#lightroom

#lightroompresets

#lightroomphotography

#lightroomedits

#kodak

#canon

#photographytools

#vintagecamera

#filmisbetter

#filmsnotdead

8 Photography Hashtag Tips & Tricks in 2020

Use Instagram Analytics Tools

To gain access to these analytics tools, a business account is required. A business account is free and easy to create. This type of account has a feature called ‘Insights,’ which allows you to click and see how your posts are doing and how many impressions are coming from your hashtags. That way, it’s possible to analyze and see if you are using the right hashtags.

Here is the information that the ‘insights’ feature shows you:

Profile views

Summary of the last seven days of account activity

Number of impressions

Demographics of your followers

Impressions on your most recent three posts

Indicates the number of people who discovered your post through hashtags

This last piece of insight is extremely valuable: you can see how effectively you are using the hashtags. If a hashtag is bringing no engagement and impressions, it is ineffective and must be replaced.

Do the research

The best way to stay informed about the best photography hashtags is to do your own research every couple of months. Do some searches of the most popular hashtags that you also use and see what pops up first. Then check those photos to see what additional hashtags they are using. Note that hashtags are continually changing, and you need to be aware of trends in your niche.

Stick to 1 niche per photo

Mixing niches can be counterproductive. If you want your work to get seen by as many people as possible, you need to niche down to a specific genre, i.e., ‘black and white photography.’ When you post a photo on Instagram, don’t use a mix of hashtags from all kinds of genres, this will NOT help your photo get seen. Always stick to one niche per photo post.

Consider these two factors when choosing a niche:

Know your target audience: think about who your photography might appeal to and look at what your audience likes

Choose the right niche for your type of photography and brand: be specific and don’t try to mix all kinds of hashtags from different niches in one photo. For example, if you are posting a wedding photo, only use hashtags from the wedding photography niche!

Use location-based hashtags

Add your location into hashtags, as it helps you get seen by people in your area. In most cases, when people search for a photographer, they want someone nearby. So, if you live in Dallas, use the #dallasphotographers hashtag so clients can find you! If you look at photography hashtags, many are based on geographic location. Whether it’s the location of the photographer or the location of the subject in the photo, using area-based tags will narrow down your post to appeal to people searching for specific hashtags.

Avoid spammy hashtags and fillers

Instagram posts should never look like spammy with too many irrelevant hashtags that have nothing to do with your photo. Instagram may shadowban your account for using the wrong hashtags, or using too many, which may appear like spam. Also, if you are using irrelevant hashtags, you will see a decline in engagement and impressions.

Put hashtags in the caption

Don’t try to stuff your post with excess hashtags. Always place your relevant hashtags in the caption of your post, not in comments. Adding comments with hashtags to your post may get your account blocked. The best way to prepare a post is:

to add a brief but catchy text description

add some space

add your hashtags at the bottom of the post

Don’t use the same hashtags in every post

Instagram’s algorithm prefers fresh content. For this reason, always mix up your hashtags for each post. Stick to the same niche if that applies to the post, but use a variety of hashtags to avoid getting blocked for spam. Here’s what to do:

Don’t copy and paste a set of hashtags and use them for every post repeatedly

Mix up the order of the hashtags and add at least three different or new ones

Use hashtags that you can target

Post during peak traffic

Instagram users are most active during certain times of the day. You want to post during a time when there are lots of people using the app. Do some research to find out when the peak traffic is for your target audience and time zone. For example, Friday evenings are a high traffic period. During the week, the afternoons and evenings have lots of engagement. If you post when there are many users online, your hashtags have a higher chance of being searched for.

Now it’s time to start posting your photos using hashtags!

Hashtags are the proven way to get your photos noticed on Instagram but remember always to choose the best hashtags that are within your reach, based on the average number of interactions you get on your posts.

Without doing some research before posting, you won’t be as successful on the platform because the competition is tight! Did you know that about 95 million photos are published on Instagram every day? So, to get noticed, you must use the best photography hashtags for 2020 that will get seen by the right people, which refers to those who are interested in the type of content you are posting!